The Chains of Love
by Sapphirina
Summary: Linked to SECRETS: Already left the Mafia in Shanghai and now in Tokyo, Xiang struggles to get over her first love Enishi. This is where she runs into Sagara Sanosuke. Sano had never expected that because of this one woman, he would be dragged into troubl
1. Chapter 1: The Return of Bad Habits

**A/N: **Sapphirina's back! I rated this one M just to be on the safe side and will probably have more T-ratings than M-ones. This story is linked to _Secrets_ so it would be helpful to read that story before this one (if you haven't). It would give you an idea of what happened beforehand and explain some things. And it leads to less confusion. The first chapter might be boring but it should get chapter happens about a month after Enishi's fight if you have an idea of what I'm talking about. So enjoy.

**CHAPTER 1**

**The Return of Bad Habits**

The woman sat in the pub, drinking sake in a corner. A sheet of paper laid in front of her on the table she was at and was furiously getting scratched upon by a pen. But then the woman stopped and checked over it to see the flow of the letter, to make sure it wasn't too emotional.

_Dear Enishi,_

_It's been awhile, hasn't it? I heard Lei died. It must have been extremely painful for him. Yan Yan sent me a letter before saying you and Mika are going to marry soon. It is understandable why you're taking your time. These kinds of relationships require it, especially the difficult ones. _

_I'm just going to let you know how I'm doing. Japan is actually okay. I got a job up here. It pays well despite the unclean conditions. Though I'm always lonely, I get by. I'm even renting a place. It's small and there's no light and hardly anything in there– just a bed and creaky floors unlike my old room in Mafia headquarters (if that's what we call it). And at least I have a kitchen to cook in. The owner of the place is okay if you ignore the fact that he smells, doesn't do anything with that beard, and hit on the female tenants. _

_Back to your relationship with Mika. I'm very happy you two are getting married. I always thought you should settle down with someone. After all_ I've _known you the longest. But I suppose that doesn't matter and neither does the way _I _feel. Getting push aside just to make some damn room for some whore you picked up one day at the shore. But I guess I shouldn't be talking, should I? I guess all that matters she's a _rich_ whore and when we met, I had nothing! And you know what else– _

The woman crumbled the paper when she saw how bitchy it was beginning to sound. Was it that bad she was being honest rather than some fake, perky person? In a way, yes but she couldn't help herself. She tossed the letter into a waste basket nearby used for broken glasses.

The bartender walked over to her table. "You're Xiang, right?" The woman raised an eyebrow but nodded nonetheless. "There's someone who wants to talk to you." His eyes followed the Chinese woman as she walked to the door.

Xiang's green eyes looked around and finally saw her acquaintance from her job. She looked at the raven-haired female. "Hello, Ayame."

"Hi," Ayame said. There had been several other occasions like this before where she had came to see Xiang and other workers to tell them what the boss had said. It was like Ayame was the boss' personal message deliver.

Ayame took a deep breath before she began her somewhat long message. "The boss said to me to tell you that you're needed at the job tonight so you can perform in front of the men. It's supposed to be a big night and he trusts that you won't screw up because you are a professional at this kind of stuff. He claims he will have some kind of suit for you- I forgot what it was but that's what he told me. He wants you to arrive as soon as the moon appears. Got it? Good." Ayame then walked off, the eyes of several men following her petite form.

Xiang walked back inside. The thought of being considered a professional made her laugh. To her, it was prostitution and anybody could do that- if they felt comfortable in their own skin. The boss, Yamachi Goro, only thought she was because she had said that she started when she was thirteen. And the only reason that happened was that her parents needed money and they sold her to the industry. It had been her father's idea.

The prostitutes there had become her new family and had tried to protect her from the customers that walked in through the doors so often. But that didn't last long. She actually starting at fifteen and it had been with a man in the mafia. And then there were other men that had a 'go' with her. At seventeen, she was (for the first time) paid by a man not to have sex with him. His name was Yukishiro Enishi.

Xiang sighed when she remembered that name. It was the first man she had given her love and her affection to. And he had given his in a way that had sent chills down her back. Until he started to change, so drastically that his attitude became different toward her. But all that was ancient history. Now he was in love with some other woman. From the time they first met, it had taken Xiang a year to make Enishi open up to her- it had taken the other woman a month.

She glared at the bartender furiously when she realized how intently the man was staring at her. "What?" she snapped. Her hand absent-mindedly touched the whip on her hip like she was in combat. Common sense had to remind her that she was no longer in the mafia and fights were no longer a necessity.

His eyes stared at her a bit longer. "Have we met before?" The curious man asked.

Of course, he had been one of her more recent customers. But she didn't want the man to know. She wanted a normal life as well, one which she can walk the streets without someone whispering she worked at the town's brothel.

"No," Xiang instantly lied. "I haven't seen you before in my life."

"Are you sure we-?"

"Look," Xiang said, her lime eyes turning cold, "if you don't stop insisting, I will kill you." She went back to drinking the sake she had abandoned for Ayame. Lately, it seemed like she was just as malicious to everyone around her.

The bartender didn't say anything more but continued looking at her from the corner of his eye, trying to remember where he had seen that face. Such a pretty one too, he thought. The sound of the bell was heard lightly. That distracted him momentarily when he went to see the customer who had waltzed in here. "The gambler," he muttered under his breath.

He was referring to a guy who had brown spiky hair and a red headband covering his forehead. He wore a white outfit, the symbol of 'bad' marking his back. His brown eyes looked around to see if anyone he knew was here.

"Sano!" Someone finally yelled and waved the man over.

Xiang looked up from the second sheet of paper to see who was being called. Her eyes caught the tall guy walking over to his gambling buddies. They had some dice game going on. The money that was in a pile in the center of the table began calling her over.

Sano played with the toothpick placed between his lips. He walked over to the nearest table. "Fujita, what's going on?" He asked, pulling up a seat to the game and sitting by the table that several guys were playing at.

"Just a little dice," Fujita explained, placing his money on the table. He had a question on his mind and was hesitant to ask it since the answer was obvious. But he did it anyway, hoping that there would be a different response this time. "You got any money to bet with?"

Sano looked at his friend with a bored look on his face. He was waiting the question so he could respond with his own. "Can you borrow me some? I'm broke."

Usually he was and Kaoru had called him (as well as Kenshin and Yahiko) a freeloader more than once. It wasn't really his fault. His one real job was gone along with the title the "Fighting Merchant."

Fujita groaned. "I always lend you money and you never pay me back."

"I will this time," Sano claimed. "Besides, I feel lucky tonight." And like every other time, Fujita lent the poor man money. Sano grinned and placed his first bet on the table. That was when he pushed his chair and leaned backward, seeing Xiang for the first time as she came over. _A chick, _he thought. _I wonder what she wants._

Xiang approached the table, grabbed a seat and dropped it by the table in its upright position. She sat on it, crossed her legs, and noticed that the men were staring at her. "I want to play, too," she declared and placed her bet on the table.

"You're a woman," Fujita mumbled. A couple of the guys agreed and told her that she shouldn't play. They said women would just ruin the fun of the game. But Xiang insisted and eventually they agreed.

She pushed her money toward the center pile. "Double-six," she said. After the dice were rolled and came to a stop, everyone saw they were snake eyes. Her eyes watched her money being taken away by a man and felt an urge to take it back. "Let me try this again," she said, placing more money on the small table. And again her money was gone. This happened several times as it became dark out until she had nothing left to bet with.

Sano grinned. He had never seen so much money in his hand before. This girl was really bad at this game and it was going in his favor. Someone else was broke besides him for a change. Then he heard the woman said she'd would place one last bet and his raised his eyebrows. "Really? You don't have anything else to offer."

Xiang grinned seductively. "I do," she said slyly. "I still have my body." They all stopped and looked at her. Some were grinning, some were surprised, some didn't care. Xiang mentally kicked herself for saying those words but her mind kept going in the same direction. "That is what I'll bet. Good ol' me."

Sano raised an eyebrow, his mind thinking of the possibilities. "Fine. Call it."

Xiang crossed her fingers behind her back and took a deep breath. "Snake eyes." Fujita rolled the dice and they bounced until they landed on fives. She sighed. This had to be a sign because everything had been going wrong in the last month. "Shit," she said under her breath. She had lost everything and she wasn't willing to pay the price for gambling.

One of the men stood up with his arms wide open. "Come here, baby," he drawled. "I'll keep you up all night."

Xiang started to walk out, not thinking about the consequences about being with drunk men. "Sorry, can't. I'm not that type of woman." _Unless money was involved, _she added, feeling disgusted at herself. There was a scramble of chairs and two men yanked her back into the pub, throwing her back. She crashed into a bar table. Her hand went to her whip instinctively, knowing there was actually danger.

One of the bigger guys approached. "Where do you think you were going-!" A whip caught him across the face and he yelped in pain. He stumbled backward into two men that had pulled her back in and they fell to the floor.

The whip continued to swing from her hand. "Who's next?" She asked. She didn't notice that one of them had gotten behind her and got ready to shove the table into her back. It was shoved hard into her spine. Xiang fell unto the table first and then unto the floor.

A guy knelt by her head and held her wrists while another did the same to her legs. The guy who she had lashed started to remove his pants, fumbling the whole entire time because of his anger. "You'll pay for that," the man mumbled.

"Let go of me!" Xiang yelled, trying to kick her way out of the situation. _It's nothing you never felt before,_ a voice said in her head as she struggled. _It will be like all your other nights in the last three weeks. Only there's no money involved. They're getting it free._

Although he had several drinks like most of the other people, Sano knew it was going to get out of hand and that no one else would intervene. So he decided to step in since no other brawl would start any time soon. He grabbed the big guy by the shoulder and the man turned around to say what. Before he could ask, Sano used his double layer technique on his forehead. The big guy fell down unconscious. Then he looked at the other two men who were holding Xiang down and started to beat the crap out of them. Fighting felt good again as his fists connected with their jaws and knocking out some teeth. He wanted to beat on the rest of the guys there but it wasn't legit. Not unless they wanted to pick a fight.

But none was willing to do so. Without any challengers to fight him, Sano then walked over to Xiang who was on the floor and extended a hand to pull her up on her feet. "You're okay?" He asked. His eyes looked around to see if any of the guys would attack him. But none even dared because Sano had taken on one of the biggest guys there _and_ beaten him.

Xiang examined the hand as if it was dirty before allowing herself to be helped. "Sure," she told him. First, she looked at the guys on the floor moaning from the pain and then her eyes shifted to her 'knight in shining armor.' "Thanks," she muttered. "But I could have done that by myself."

"Hey," Sano said smoothly and wrapped an arm around the woman's waist, bringing her against his body, "You didn't look like it. If you don't want to be saved, then don't look like you can't defend yourself. Besides," he added, the toothpick bobbing up and down, "I didn't want you getting hurt." He saw the flicker in her eyes and it only made him more interested in the female, even if thoughts of kicking him in the groin were running though her mind.

Sano led her out of the pub. When they were a few yards away, his arm slipped away from her waist. Then he examined the female with interest. She was pretty curvy and seemed like her vitals were good. And she was beautiful. To him, that was the most important thing. "So what's your name?" He finally asked.

Xiang eyed him, thinking about the consequences of letting a stranger know her name. She thought about, figuring he was the kind that would forget quickly. "Xiang Lee. And yours?"

"Sagara Sanosuke."

"Sagara, huh?" Xiang thought about where she heard that name and then it came to her. The last name also belonged to Sagara Sōzō, the leader of the Sekiho army. He had been executed by the Imperialists. She wondered if they were related somehow. Whether it was by blood or marriage.

"So," Sanosuke decided to ask, "are all Chinese women like you?"

Xiang glared. "That's being stereotypical. One person cannot define other people who are similar by looks, culture, race or gender."

He raised an eyebrow at the vexed female. "Wow," he muttered sarcastically, "you seem smart, too." Sano had decided to stop teasing the female when he saw how her eyes were already in slits. He hadn't expected the woman to take that comment so seriously. Then Sanosuke came to a halt and so did Xiang. His brown eyes examined her face then, finally resting on her lips. "The moonlight looks good on you."

Xiang watched Sano approached her and cupped her cheek. He was close now, close enough for her to smell the liquor he had been drinking. Her cheeks turned red when thoughts of what he wanted to do with her ran through Xiang's mind. The drinks she had consumed as well were clouding her judgement and allowing the enticement to grow between the two.

Instantly, Xiang killed the mood by sucking her teeth. She had just remembered the gig at the brothel and was already late. She had to go before she lost her job or Goro got mad at her which was even worse. "I've got to go," she said. "It was nice meeting you though, Sanosuke." Before he could say anything to stop her, she took off down the road.

**A/N: **I think this might be a Fanfic for both Sanosuke and Enishi fans. There will be several flashbacks to the past (with Enishi) and the remainder of the story will be in the present (with mostly Sano of course). Well how was it? Boring? Good? Needs more work? Let me know! Anywayz, till later.


	2. Chapter 2: Remembering Hurts Too Much

**A/N: **You think I would update this time but I've been very late doing that. It turned out that I was somehow busy this weekend for once—running up and down the state to see family and friends and missing IGPX! Oh well, here's the update I promise ya.

**CHAPTER 2**

**Remembering Hurts Too Much**

When she arrived, Goro was furious. Xiang had never been late before until the only night when some guy tried to hit on her. She ran to the dressing room, locked the door, and looked at a black outfit in front of the mirror. It couldn't get any skimpier than the way it was now. She immediately started putting on makeup for the performance, applying heavy eyeshadow and red lipstick. Goro continued yelling through the door the whole entire time and every other word was a curse word (or sounded like it). This only made Xiang sped up the process. Soon she came out dressed and her hair tousled. Xiang didn't give a damn. It looked good from a distance. She ran to the stage.

Never had she seen so many eyes on her. For once she was the center of attention, unlike in the male-dominated mafia. And if she was back in China, it was due to her being drunk and making a fool out of herself. Her mind traveled to Enishi and she bit her bottom lip from the memory. She started her routine as if she was doing it for that one man only.

_Every night I see him, _she thought while the audience whistled and cheered. _And every night I think of him. Even when it hurts so much, I don't want to stop those memories from coming back to me . . . _

_-_FLASHBACK-

She watched the tall man with white hair walked in with his friends (who were actually his partners), talking loudly and laughing. Xiang could feel the arrogant feeling in her stomach–-she wanted him for herself tonight. The guy looked amazing enough for her and Xiang knew all the other women were eyeing him like he was a candy. She wanted to make them envy her while she was in a room with that man the whole entire night, wondering what was going on.

Their eyes connected and her whole face turned red. It was like he was looking into her and saw what she was thinking. That's how it felt and it made Xiang feel embarrassed. She watched as a man elbowed the white-haired guy and jerked his chin in her direction.

"Come on, Yukishiro," the guy said. "That one looks promising. See what you like, grab what you can," he looked back over his shoulder at his other comrades. "It's only 10 to go in and out!"

Xiang wanted to tell the man (who was Lin—she didn't know who he was back then) to stop saying perverted things but she was a little scared. She had watched that happened to a woman a few years back. The woman had yelled at some guy for making perverted comments and the guy hadn't been pleased about them. She couldn't work again after that incident and it hadn't been because she got fired.

After much consideration, Yukishiro sighed and beckoned her to come. The woman got up hesitantly and gazed at him. Xiang walked over slowly and led the man into a room. Then she walked over to the far end of the room and lit the scented candles. She inhaled the scents almost as if trying to trigger something from nostalgia. Xiang turned and faced the man. Her face was red from embarrassment. The idea of being talked about as a piece of meat was annoying. But that what the job felt like– meat getting sold at a market. Slowly, she took off the robe and allowed it to drop to the floor. Her lime eyes gazed at the ground not wanting to see the kind of leer he was giving her.

Yukishiro let out another sigh and took out money that was on him. Then he threw it across the floor to her. "Take it."

Xiang's eyebrows furrowed before figuring it was okay to take the money. "What's this for? I didn't do anything yet."

Yukishiro tilted his head back against the wall and closed his eyes. "I'm paying you to do nothing."

The money was glared at from every angle possible in her hand before she looked at her customer. Nobody had given her money so freely unless they had got what they came for. So what Yukishiro did was something she did not expect and there had to be a reason for it; there always are. Because of this, Xiang eyed him doubtfully. "What is this–-some kind of pity act?"

It looked like he had gone to sleep because his eyes were still closed and he didn't answer right away. But then at the last moment he finally did give her a response. "Woman, it doesn't matter," he responded. "It's still money." He heard footsteps moving away from him to the other side of the room.

"Fine," Xiang mumbled, sounding as if she was disappointed and started putting back on her robe. "I'll go to sleep then."

-END FLASHBACK-

Xiang ran off the stage, leaving all the hooting and whistling in the background. Leaning against a wall for support, she realized how happy she was now that it was over. The memory at least. That all she had remembered of that night. When she had woken up the next day, she was in a room all by herself, clutching the free money against her chest. It had been a boring night for her and she didn't get a chance to argue to the man about how women should be treated differently or something along those lines. But she had been glad she didn't because he came back after a few days and was her customer a second time. If she did, she might have chased Enishi off then.

Ayame came by and threw a kimono on top of Xiang's almost-exposed body. "Goro said you need to get ready for your customer in the next few minutes. Take a minute to breathe, another to shake it out of your system, and the last to get changed. Oh, and by the way " Ayame added, "everyone agrees you did a good job. You didn't look nervous once-in my opinion."

* * *

"Kenshin! Get up!"

"Oro?"

That was what Sano woke up to–-Kaoru's yelling. Soon it would be his turn to loose his hearing. Luckily he was up in time to avoid that. He slid the door aside and stepped out in the hallway. He allowed Kaoru to storm passed him to Yahiko's room. Rubbing his eyes, he headed into the kitchen. There was nothing set to eat on the table and there was no smell of anything burning. He raised an eyebrow at the sight. "Hey, Kaoru!"

"WHAT!" She screamed twice as loud from somewhere within the dojo.

A tired Yahiko and an oblivious Kenshin walked into the kitchen. "Hey, Sano," Kenshin said.

Yahiko let out a yawn. "Where's breakfast?"

Sanosuke stuck his head into the hallway, figuring he was the only alert one there. "Yeah, where is it?"

Kaoru came down the hallway to where they were. "We're going to the Akabeko," she explained. "We'll get breakfast there." She stopped and looked at her pupil who was yawning, so noticeable that he could be considered doing it on purpose. And that's how Kaoru took it. She smacked the back of Yahiko's head. "Are you listening to me?"

Yahiko couldn't yell back because he needed food. So he replied tiredly, "Shut up ugly."

Kenshin smiled as all hell broke loose. "Maybe we should get going. I'm pretty sure we're all hungry."

Kaoru stopped beating on Yahiko for a moment. "Yeah, I guess you're right, Kenshin. Let's go see Tae."

* * *

Sano stole something from Yahiko plate and stuffed it into his mouth before he saw. He was thinking about that gambling girl from last night. If she played tonight at the pub again, he might feel lucky again. And the fact she wasn't all that bad looking made the game more interesting.

"I can't believe you busted your hand again!" Megumi was reprimanding through breakfast as she sat next to Kenshin. They had run into her by 'coincidence' as she had put it. And even if it was true, Kaoru didn't seem to think so.

"It wasn't my fault," Sanosuke muttered. "Some thugs decided to pick a fight with a lady so . . . " His voice trailed off. He had heard the chimes signaling that someone had walked in and he had looked back casually. It was Xiang in a pink kimono. Her hair was brought back in a bun done neatly but it wasn't that he was looking at. His eyes followed her as she walked before finally yelling, "Xiang! Over here!"

* * *

When she heard her name, Xiang bit her lip. She noticed her walk became slightly slower and she felt the need to see who called her. She had three options now: 1) walk away and pretend she didn't hear the person; 2) look to see who it was and walk away anyway; and 3) look and walked over to the person with a fake smile on her face. Her head swivelled to see who called her and saw Sano waving her over. She forced her legs to move in that direction.

Sano scooted over and made room for her to join the group. Xiang sat next to him and looked around. All eyes were on her and she felt uncomfortable. "Hi," she said, realizing how shy she sounded.

"This is Xiang," Sano introduced. "Xiang, these are my friends. That's Kaoru, Yahiko, Megumi, and Kenshin." He took notice of how Xiang's eyes flashed at the mention of that name.

"Himura Kenshin, right?" Xiang asked. _The Hitokiri Battosai, _she thought. She stuck her hand out like it was some sort of deal that was being made. "I heard a lot about you." Her lime eyes locked with Kenshin's amethyst ones. _This is his fault, _Xiang thought. _If weren't for him, Enishi and I might still be . . . No, Xiang, be polite. Swallow your anger and get over this shit. _After a firm shake, Xiang pulled her hand back to her lap.

"So," Yahiko said casually through mouthfuls, "You spent the night with Sano, right?"

Sano smacked the back of Yahiko's head. He looked at Xiang sheepishly. "He didn't mean that." Out of the corner of his eye, he glared at the ten-year-old. He hoped Xiang wouldn't think that he was telling people things like that.

"I'm sure he didn't." Xiang looked at the floor solemnly. She didn't belong there with them. It was too awkward even if Sano seemed kind enough (and possibly a cure for her problems) and here was Enishi's worst enemy. A part of her kept asking why she still felt that loyalty to the man who dumped her. The answer, like always, wasn't there.

"Sanosuke," Xiang said, getting up. "I got to go, 'kay?" She looked at everyone else, gave them a quick wave and went off to meet the person she had originally intended.

Sano watched her go and Yahiko observed his behavior. "Now I get. You like her but she doesn't like you, huh?" He saw Sano cringed while he continued to eat.

Megumi decided to add to this commentary. "I suppose she was the girl last night. She's too good for you."

"Yeah," Kaoru agreed. "You don't have a chance with her." She glared at Yahiko as the last dumpling stood there all by itself in the bowl. They had their forks ready, preparing to go to war. Just then Sanosuke took the dumpling and popped it into his mouth. Kaoru and Yahiko stared at the empty bowl, shocked by what just happened.

"It's nothing like that," Sanosuke muttered as he chewed, "We're just fr-" He started choking on the dumpling and Megumi patted him on the back.

"You had that coming," Yahiko muttered.

* * *

"Who was that guy you we talking to?" Ayame asked.

Xiang sat and looked back at the area she just left, catching a glimpse of Sanosuke. "No one in particular."

"Yeah," Ayame said, having obvious hints of sarcasm in her voice. She let out a dramatic sigh and gazed out the window. "Men are some of the most hopeless beings in the world. They only get so far in this world because of the strong women who stand behind them. And another-"

"Ayame," Xiang said, cutting the woman off her feminist rampage, "You said you needed to talk to me about something. What is it?"

"Are you familiar with the name Yukishiro Enishi?"

Xiang felt like her heart stopped beating.

**A/N:** There's nothing much to say at the end of this chapter except the action is soon to come. So hopefully check out the next couple of chapters, okay?


	3. Chapter 3: Enishi This, Enishi That

**A/N: **Forgive me for the late update. There is some mention of Enishi and I think he'll make an appearance in later chapters. So as of know, I guess I can say this story is Enishi-linked as well.

**CHAPTER 3**

**Enishi This, Enishi That**

"Why _that_ name?" Xiang tried to control her exploding emotions. Out of everyone they could have talked about, it had to be the one whom she was trying to forget. Sitting on her hands was the only way to refrain from strangling Ayame. And the whip she used when she lashed out at people was under the kimono.

Ayame shrugged. "I'm just wondering if it's familiar to you. Apparently it must be."

"Look," Xiang tried to say politely. "I used to have a job where I had to research about people and study multiple languages. I have research over a hundred people and can speak Japanese, French, and German quite fluently. So of course I had heard the name Yukishiro Enishi. It's no big deal really."

Ayame raised her eyebrows. "What were you researching the guy on?"

She looked down at the table dreamily. "Well, I already know he's an amazing criminal and is really good with his weapon. I was looking up his fighting techniques and criminal records. He was responsible for the death of a shogun and was linked to other conspiracies. I don't have anything else on him other than that."

"Oh."

"So why the weird question?" Xiang asked Ayame, snapping out of her daze. "You couldn't find something else to talk about?" There was so much sarcasm in her last statement that Ayame couldn't avoid it. It was not a question she would try again any time soon.

"No reason." Ayame sighed. "Anyway, Goro wants you to-"

Xiang saw where this was heading and cut her off. "I'm not working. It's my night off." Goro had just told her not to come back in the morning. And Xiang had taken his word for it. Now that he was changing it made Xiang upset. She propped her chin on her hand and looked out the window so she couldn't give Ayame a dirty look. Before Ayame could speak, Xiang interrupted. "Tell him I have other things to take care of."

"Come on," Ayame tried to coax, "You're practically a geisha now. You think that Goro had you do that skit last night for nothing?"

Xiang stood up to leave but before she did, she said, "Ayame, don't try to become my enemy." Her voice held a false happiness but her eyes had turned cold. She had to admit that she had loved her job in the mafia more than her current one. Even if Lei was sometimes a pain in the ass, at least he got reasons unlike Goro. "Tell him that I got plans and I won't be there." Xiang exited the Akabeko without a look back.

* * *

The rain came down heavy that night and Xiang was running through the streets for shelter. Her home was on the other side of Tokyo and the weather was uncalled for. She ran with a package over her head, not doing much good for the rest of her body now drenched in water. The water was making her shiver because a wind decided to pick up. Her lime eyes saw an umbrella opened up above her and she stopped moving to see it was Sano.

Xiang's chest was still heaving from all that running, causing her voice to come out raspy. "Hey," she managed to get out. Then she removed the package from the top of her head and let it dangled from her arm.

"Hello," Sanosuke said.

The shopkeeper came out into the open. "Aren't you going to pay for that?"

Sanosuke reached into his pocket and took out some change. It was part of his gambling earnings. He dropped it into the shopkeeper's hand and started to walk away, Xiang moving along with him to keep dry. "So where are you going from here?"

"To the other side of town." Xiang said and then added, "That's where I live." There were goose bumps all over her skin and she hugged herself to keep warm. She needed to change her clothes desperately before she caught a cold or pneumonia. "Where do you live?" she suddenly asked.

Sano continued to look straight ahead. "Not far from here. Why? You want to come over?" After those words, he realized how wrong that sounded. His brown eyes glanced at her face to see what she was thinking.

Xiang, fortunately for him, didn't take it that way. "No, I'm okay. I'll walk home."

Her mind added, _the brothel's not far from here. You can go there and spend the night. Maybe get some money for the time._

Sano raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"

"Of course I am," she said, a small smile across her face. "Don't worry about me." Involuntarily, her hand reached out and caressed his cheek, a gentle smile plastered on her face. Immediately she frowned at this and her hand retreated to her body. "I'll see you later, all right?"

"Yeah, of course," Sanosuke said, sounding unsure because his cheek still tingled from her touch. He was about to walk away but he stopped. "Xiang?"

Xiang stopped and looked back at the man expectantly. "Yes?" She had gone back to holding her package over her head.

Sano walked up to her and held out the umbrella for her to take. He let go of the handle when she gripped it in her hand. "Can you meet me at the Akabeko for lunch tomorrow?" He had a feeling he was asking her for a date and she got the same vibe.

Xiang was almost speechless. A part of her reminded that it had been a long time since she went on a date. Another part of her said it could be fun. However those two parts were small compared to the one recalling of how Enishi had hurt her. Because of this, she shook her head no. "I'm sorry," she said, "I have something to take care of." That was her excuse for everything that day.

"It's all right," Sano said, the heavy rain already soaking his clothes. "Take care."He started to walk off and then his gait turned into a jog.

"I'll give you your umbrella back tomorrow!" Then Xiang sighed and started to walk in the general direction to her place. On the way, she past the brothel. There was an urge to see how Goro had taken the information she had told Ayame to relay to him. But the unwillingness to get snatched into her job made her body push right past it.

_Why didn't you say yes, Xiang?_

_Because he was asking me out. I don't want to fall for anyone right now. Being single is great._

_Sure it is. I bet that's why you feel you still want Enishi. Because he was the best and only lover for you. He made you feel like you meant something. Isn't that right?_

_If he made me feel so special, why did he leave me?_

_You can't blame him. Enishi found a different woman, one who had more to offer than her body. He felt something stronger than what he could ever feel for you and you know it. So settle for Sano right now. He could be the cure to all your troubles right here and make you forget Enishi._

_And how can anyone do that?_

_Really, Xiang. Have you ever wondered why your mind told you to go back to prostitution? You still haven't figured it out, have you?_

Xiang was close to the tenement where she was staying at. It was really a flat building with only one floor and had a style similar to that of a dojo. It was rectangular, the longest side having the main entrance and was separate into thirty sections for residents. Each section had a bedroom or two, a kitchen, and one extra room for everything else. The middle of the tenement was hollow and became a little courtyard area with the cherry trees in the center.

There would be the guard standing outside the main entrance and would ask her for identification. She could avoid that one if she wanted to and get through another entrance but that would involve confrontation with more guards. However, when she approached the tenement, no one was in at the entrance.

It was late out and to not see the guard there was not a good thing. Xiang raised an eyebrow and walked inside. She closed the umbrella and propped it against the wall. Then she walked down the hallway slowly, trying to produce as little sound as possible. Her body stopped moving and her eyes glanced at the floor. Lime eyes widened when they saw trails of blood leading to a room. The trail was cut off by the door.

Xiang looked around the hallway and didn't see anybody. But she did believe another door had opened up for brief second but no one stood out. Ignoring that, her hand reached for the door and slid it to the side. On the walls in blood were messages scribbled in Hiragana. Only one was written in Chinese. It was hard to read the characters because the blood had run down the wall for some time. But Xiang realized it was her name. Someone jumped down behind her and a knife was drawn to her neck.

"Let's go to your place, Lee," the person said. It was deep but it still sounded silky. "And don't try anything that will get you killed."

* * *

She was thrown into her bedroom and heard the sliding door closed. The interior of the room was dark and she could hardly see anything. But then there was a small flame that lit up a candle. Other candles were eventually lit and now the room had a soft glow to it. The person had on a mask and some sort of ninja outfit. He had on a gi that the sleeves had been ripped from and pants wrapped toward the ankles with bandages.

Xiang glared at the man. "Who are you?"

The guy took off the mask and placed it next to a candle, placing an ominous glow on its features. For the first time, she noticed the guy's mahogany eyes. That didn't make the situation any better and they had nothing interesting in them. "You can call me Yamashita Haruka. I believe you're Xiang Lee from the mafia in Shanghai. Nice to meet you." With that last bit, he extended his hand for a handshake,

Xiang, however, glared at him. "I'm not in the mafia."

Yamashita grinned and took back his hand. "Of course not. You left sometime ago. Must have been almost a month already."

Her eyes flickered. "How would you know that?" Her lime eyes finally caught the figures of several bodies leaning against the wall. She strained to see them, but Haruka's voice took back her attention.

"Because you're one of the most valuable mafia members. I keep a record of these kinds of things."

* * *

_See, you didn't have to follow her, _a voice in Sano's head proved to be right. _She made it alright. _He had followed her from the moment she had been at least twenty feet away. He had thought once she was stopping by the brothel but she had gone on and he was confused why she was walking slowly, almost cautiously, inside her place. Sano was soaking wet but that didn't seem to satisfy the clouds that were persistent on pouring water on the poor souls below them.

Sanosuke let out a sneeze and was angry at himself for even bothering to come. He was going to go back to the dojo with a cold and Megumi would be angry for another thing besides him busting up his hand again.

Sano was about to leave when his eyes caught some movements. His brown eyes saw people, at least a dozen of them, coming toward the tenement in a group. It seemed bizarre and the fact that they were armed, made things worst. Waiting for them to go inside gave enough time for his mind to retreat to Xiang. After they went inside, he followed them stealthily. They went down the hallway and turned into an adjacent one. They slid open a door and walked in where there was a conversation going on. He approached the door and placed his ear against it.

* * *

Yamashita bent over and cupped Xiang's cheek, sensing the fury in her eyes. "You really are a beauty. I can see why Yukishiro loved you." He smirked when he saw her eyes widened.

"How do you know him?" Everyone seemed to have some knowledge of his name here. Then again, Yukishiro Enishi had left for Tokyo to get his revenge and was believed to have some entanglement with the police. But when he had left, they had been through and she doubt Enishi would tell the world about it.

Yamashita shoved her question aside. To him, it was irrelevant. "Do you know who we are, babe? We're the Radicals Omega. And we have our own beliefs of justice in society."

Xiang raised an eyebrow. "You sound stupid and foolish." The slap she earned had been unexpected from Yamachi. His smiling eyes didn't betray his thoughts or actions during those few seconds.

"Our ideals need to be recognized," he explained. Then he placed his foot on her back and forced her down on the floor. His head tilted upward but his eyes gazed down upon her. "And so do we. I heard you're good at finding things out. Lei used to somewhat brag about you and your skills."

The door slid opened and Sano walked in with his hands in his pockets. His brown eyes looked at those on his right and those at his left. They rested upon Yamachi and Xiang in the middle. The toothpick bobbed up and down between his lips as he spoke. "What's going on?"

**A/N: **Okay, a cliffhanger. What will happen next? You'll find out later. If you don't mind, leave a review please. I have nothing to go on for this story. Till next time.


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